The Central Connector is a critical public transport project providing continuous bus lanes between Britomart and Newmarket. According to Auckland City Council, the project has the following benefits:
The Central Connector forms a crucial part of Auckland’s expanding transport network, linking into the Northern Busway at Britomart and connecting future bus improvement projects on Great South, Manukau and Remuera roads. It will also complement the rail network by providing a travel option to Britomart and Newmarket stations.Work to strengthen and future-proof Grafton Bridge is also nearing completion. The bridge will be able to accommodate heavier low-emission buses and other forms of passenger transport such as light rail in the future.
One crucial aspect of the project has been the strengthening of Grafton Bridge, with the plan to eventually make the bridge bus only from 7am to 7pm on weekdays. The bridge is only two lanes wide, and can only ever be two lanes wide. Therefore, before it was closed for maintenance last year it got very congested at peak hour. Redirecting a lot of buses over Grafton Bridge – as proposed by the Central Connector – would only add to this congestion if other vehicles continued to be allowed to cross the bridge, and undo many of the benefits that the rest of the Central Connector. So, to ensure that the money spent on the Central Connector actually achieves its stated purpose. Council spell this out quite clearly:
Upon completion, the bridge will be able to withstand a one in one-thousand year earthquake and accommodate up to 1200 buses every weekday. Accommodating more buses on the bridge is integral to maximising the benefits of the Central Connector busway and making inner city bus travel faster and more reliable. The bridge will be able to act as an important transport link between Grafton and the CBD, while retaining its heritage glory.
So far, so good. However, it seems as though the road loving politicians that actually make up the Auckland City Council don’t like the idea of not being able to drive across Grafton Bridge whenever they please, and have decided to waste ratepayers’ money and put the whole purpose of the Central Connector at risk, by undertaking further stakeholder and community consultation into whether cars should be banned from the bridge during these hours or not.
My feedback: don’t be idiots. Obviously the bridge has to be buses only from 7am-7pm. Use Wellesley Street bridge like you’ve been doing for the past few months and let’s get on with it. Somewhat fortunately, ARTA’s funding contribution to the project is based on the original proposal – so I hope their feedback goes something along the lines of “it’s buses only from 7am-7pm or you can find somewhere else to get the $14 million we’re contributing!”
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To avoid confusion they should make it buses only full stop! That includes Buses, mopeds, and bikes of course just like any bus lane. Don’t put hours on it, just make it buses only.
I think at 3am in the morning there’s no reason why it should be closed off to general traffic. It’s quite a useful short-cut to the hospital, for example.
I can’t find the link for consultation on the ACC website…Has it not started yet?
> I can’t find the link for consultation on the ACC website…Has it not started yet?
It’s over already. But several groups (including Cycle Action and the Grafton’s Resident’s Association) have been consulted, and have supported the 7am-7pm full ban. There’s also been some feedback coming back from Council channels that the review is just that – a review, and that there’s (not anymore) any big push to go back on the original proposal. So cross your fingers, should all be good.
Also, the signs are already up 😉
Oh, and I also remarked on the subsidies issue in our submission.
The councillors seem to ignore my e-mails these days I think the blast I sent in over the ridiculous Queens Wharf and Silo Park proposals were the last straws..!
This kind of thing is why I get so annoyed, the decision is so obviously a no brainer I resent having a single cent of my rate-payer monies spent on a review of it, even just to pay for the tea, bickies and a meeting room…
Well at least we’ll get the right outcome in the end. If I remember rightly when Ken Baguley first became the chair of the transport committee at council he didn’t like the idea of having to change the route of his drive to work each morning to avoid Grafton Bridge.
I think that his officials have talked some sense into him, as he’s been much more reasonable towards public transport in more recent times.
ACC are my least favourite council. Sheezh, even Rodney believes in climate change these days.
Rodney District or Rodney Hide 😉
Rodney District see http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/rodney-times/2715744/Green-stance-urged . Obviously not the Hide of that name 🙂
I got a fine in August ’11 for crossing this dam bridge!!! Not all of us are from the city!!! $150 dollars later!!! aaaaarrrrrrrrr!!!
Hi Nancy – which of the many signs saying no entry or buses only were too difficult to understand?
yes i recieved 3 tickets in one week i did not understand the sign that you cannot cross grafton bridge i dont remember seeing one in july on the park st end only remember a sign which said bus lane
Am very concerned that you are driving at all with such limited eyesight.
I must get around to taking a photo of the 10 million signs at each end of the bridge. To point how how difficult it is to say that you couldn’t see the signs or couldn’t understand them.
If you are not from this shit city. It is such a huge sign 300mm by 300mm saying don’t cross from 7am to 7pm Why not how the fuck do you get to the fucking hospital. Is not the main way. So that means you have to catch a bus to get across yea right God Auckland suxs!!!!! and what the fuck is wrong with having cars on it in the 1st place
Wow, what a retard. Another me me me car driver that thinks they were born with the right to drive on any bit of paved surface they like. One would think the signs on both sides and the overhead gantry sign with the big red X would be enough to stop people driving in the bus lane.
Seven different roads leading to the hospital, not to mention off ramps from all three motorways, and he thinks the bus bridge from K’ Rd is the only way to get there.
I’m sure this will fall on dead ears, but “what the fuck is wrong with having cars on it” is the fact that it only takes a few dozen cars to clog up the narrow bridge and bring the thousands of people who use the buses each hour to a standstill.
For someone that hates Auckland so much you must wonder why he doesn’t just stay on the farm?
So Easter holidays all you fucking Auckland Wankers are working Who the fuck is the retard now
Its still you…
When Grafton bridge allowed car’s (years ago now) it created a major traffic issue. The main issue is that, at the Symonds st end there is only one lane each way. Most light controlled intersections have two or more lanes. This means that the throughput off Grafton bridge is very low (and it wastes time at the lights that could be being used more productively for other directions). When cars were allowed on the bridge pedestrians would regularly beat the cars across. Because it is so unproductive at moving cars Grafton bridge is an ideal space to dedicate to a much lesser number vehicles that are more productive per unit of area.
Still you by the sound of things.
Scott, further to the above I’ll just note they didn’t make Grafton Bridge bus-only (partially that is, and only during the day on weekdays) until they built a new six lane bridge across the gully only a couple of hundred metres away. I’ll also not that the Wellesley St Bridge is legally a motorway, which makes it illegal for people to walk or cycle across it. So a six lane bridge just for cars next to a two lane bridge just for buses, cyclists and pedestrians. I can’t see what the problem is.
Why don’t they just remove the green traffic light phase from each end of the bridge between 7am and 7pm? Just have a B light for buses.
Because the bridge is also open to motorcyclists, bicyclists and emergency service vehicles, as well as buses. Having just a B light would make it illegal for them under the current laws, but I recall they were looking at a law change along those lines.
Because it is illegal for bikes of motorbikes to proceed on the B signal. I think a law change was planed a year or so back but I never heard what became of it.